SANAA: Pro-government fighters in Yemen have received weapons shipments in the war-torn city of Aden, as Shiite rebels scramble to deploy reinforcements, military officials said Sunday.Military and port officials in Aden said new heavy and medium weapons and ammunition arrived in Aden in late July by sea to support pro-government army divisions and militias against the Shiite Houthi rebels and allied military units.The officials said tanks, artillery, missiles and armored vehicles were included in the shipment from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have been waging a US-backed air campaign against the Iran-supported rebels since March.After months of fierce fighting, pro-government fighters have recently pushed rebels out of Aden and advanced in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.On Saturday, Yemen’s Prime Minister Khaled Bahah made a symbolic visit to Aden, two weeks after...

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates is to try 41 people for allegedly seeking to overthrow the government to set up a caliphate in the Gulf state, prosecutors said Sunday.Such mass trials on terrorism charges are rare in the UAE which has largely been spared the Islamic militancy that has hit other Arab states.The suspects, who include Emiratis as well as foreigners, are accused of setting up a group “with a terrorist, ta...

KARACHI: Pakistan on Sunday released 163 Indian fishermen held for violating its territorial waters as a goodwill gesture amid tensions over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir and an attack on a police station.The fishermen were freed from Malir jail in the southern port city of Karachi.“We have a total 660 Indians in the prison and most of them are fishermen, who were arrested for violations of territorial water...

JEDDAH: More than 26 million Umrah pilgrims and worshippers visited the Grand Mosque during the month of Ramadan and in the first few days after Eid Al-Fitr, thanks to a smooth transport arrangement under the guidance of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.Hisham Al-Faleh, adviser to the Makkah gove...

ALKHOBAR: A power failure at the King Fahd Causeway on Wednesday night resulted in a massive traffic congestion, even as officials failed to explain the cause of the snag, local media reported.A power outage for 74 minutes on the link between the Kingdom and Bahrain on July 20 had caused chaos and traffic jams, and King Fah...

JEDDAH: A female Saudi lawyer was able to get a stay order on a ruling by the general court in Jeddah that awarded custody of a two-year-old girl to her father. She successfully argued to get the court order reversed that gave custody back to the mother after she proved that the father lied to the court and took the girl un...

JEDDAH: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) said that combating harassment cases is part of its responsibility to promote Islamic values and morals in society.“Those harassing women will be brought to book,” said Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shalil, a spokesman.“The harassment cases have no...

RIYADH: A thick layer of sand covered the city’s skyline on Saturday with a heavy blanket of dust caused by strong winds hampering visibility and creating traffic snarls on busy roads.The traffic department advised motorists to drive slowly and exercise caution like use of headlights as darkness enveloped the main arteries...

AL-AHSA: An outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) has been discovered in cattle in Al-Ahsa which is an area with many cows. All necessary measures have been taken to protect the livestock, said Mahmoud Al-Shuaibi of the Agriculture Department in Al-Ahsa.“Al-Ahsa Agriculture Department, with the cooperation of the municipalit...

RIYADH: An architectural masterpiece — the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center (KAHC) — in Riyadh is a huge complex dedicated solely to collecting, preserving, promoting and showcasing the history and heritage of Saudi Arabia. The KAHC is a three million square feet facility that preserves the Kingdom’s past, shares early sto...

RIYADH: The Saudi Blind Society (Kafif) has made all preparations for the three-day workshop for the blind to be held here next week and attended by delegates from various Asian countries.Mohammed bin Suleiman Al-Shuwaiman, Kafif director general, thanked the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) for displaying electroni...

JEDDAH: The number of Saudis who took early retirement schemes last year stood at 38,647, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has said. The Eastern Provinces got the lion's share of disbursements for retirees, amounting to SR3.8 billion, equivalent to 60.8 percent of the total cash disbursement of SR6.3 bil...

JEDDAH: Meat and poultry topped the list of food items seized by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) at the border crossings for violating the health standards in the last two months.Approximately 267,137 kg of unfit meat and poultry were rejected, according to figures provided by SFDA to local media. The authority rej...

JEDDAH: Many sponsors and workers of small companies are struggling to get a comparatively cheaper health cover for renewal of iqama (residential permit) as the insurance companies have stopped issuing the same.The passport department has made it compulsory to have a health insurance for renewal of the iqama. These insuranc...

RIYADH: Police have detained 11 Indonesian nationals, who arrived in the holy city of Makkah for Umrah a few days back.The Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry is working closely with the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah to assist the group of citizens detained by police on charges not known at the moment.There have been rep...

JEDDAH: The National Committee for Bakeries at the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) said this Haj season would see no shortage in supplies of bakery items.The committee said there was need to increase operational labor by about 20 percent.It confirmed excellent cooperation between silos and bakeries to meet the demand. The n...

ALGIERS: OPEC member Algeria has increased crude oil output by 32,000 barrels per day after starting production at two fields, an Energy Ministry official said on Sunday.Production increased on Saturday when the Bir Sebaa field started producing 20,000 bpd in addition to 12,000 bpd from the Bir Msana field in Hassi Messaoud...

DUBAI: Stock markets across the Middle East fell on Sunday after oil prices dropped again and Saudi Arabia, heavily influenced by the petrochemicals sector, led losses, hitting a four-month low.The main Saudi Tadawul All-Share Index sank 3.2 percent to 8,807 points, its biggest daily loss since late March, with nearly all s...

ATHENS: Attention will be focused on Greece’s embattled banks on Monday when the Athens stock exchange reopens after a six-week shutdown over the country’s debt crisis.The banks are in a vulnerable position because of outflows of billions of euros (dollars) from deposits over the past six months.Some 40 billion euros ($44 b...

BEIJING: Downward pressure on China’s economy will persist in the second half of the year as growth in infrastructure spending and exports is unlikely to pick up, a senior central bank official was quoted as saying.Chinese companies are not optimistic about business prospects according to the central bank’s second-quarter s...

LONDON: Now that US Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen has made it clear she’s looking out for “some” improvement in the job market before voting for the first Fed interest rate rise in nearly a decade, so is everyone else.The challenge is that the US economy is generating very little inflation — not to mention disinflation...

JUBAIL: The Saudi electricity sector needs an estimated SR700 billion investment in the next 10 years with a large percentage expected from the private sector, said Saleh bin Hussain Al-Awaji, deputy minister for water and electricity and chairman of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC).New plans were launched for the establ...

CAIRO: Egypt expects to import 28.6 million tons of crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other oil products worth a total of almost $16 billion in 2015-16, the planning ministry said.The government expects to buy 7.79 million tons of LNG for $3.55 billion and 6.37 million tons of crude oil for $3.51 billion, the minis...

LAHAINA, Hawaii: Pacific Rim trade ministers failed to clinch a deal on Friday to free up trade between a dozen nations after a dispute flared up over auto trade between Japan and North America, New Zealand dug in over dairy trade and no agreement was reached on monopoly periods for next-generation drugs.Trade ministers fro...

BEIJING: Growth at China's big manufacturing companies unexpectedly stalled in July as demand at home and abroad weakened, an official survey showed on Saturday, reinforcing views that the economy needs more stimulus as it faces fresh risks from a stock market slump.The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) stood at 50....

FRANKFURT/SAN FRANCISCO: BMW and Apple may rekindle a courtship put on hold after an exploratory visit by executives of the world's top maker of electronic gadgets to the headquarters of the word's biggest seller of premium cars.Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook went to BMW's headquarters last year and senior Apple executives...

BRUSSELS: Euro zone inflation was unchanged in July as a further decline of energy prices negated the impact of more expensive industrial goods and services, leaving the European Central Bank with more work to do to push up prices.The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said that consumer prices in the 19 countries...

TOKYO: Japanese electronics giant Sharp said Friday its net loss widened in April-June as it struggles through a painful restructuring and weak sales of display screens and smartphones.The Osaka-based firm reported a 33.98 billion yen ($274 million) shortfall in the first fiscal quarter, much more than the 1.79 billion yen...

WASHINGTON: Microsoft began rolling out its Windows 10 operating system Wednesday, aiming to revive the tech giant’s fortunes, especially in mobile and the “Internet of Things.”The stakes are high for Microsoft as it pushes out the new operating system for both traditional computers and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones....

Our concept of style is heavily burdened with the prerequisite norm to change it whenever possible. After all, it’s a good thing to do. If we don’t, then we are going to be looked at with abomination. Why risk it when we all know that diversity brings more zing to life! Nowhere is it more evident than in the highly extraordinary shoes desi...

DAMMAM: The tourism industry in the Kingdom is witnessing great interest by authorities to develop the archaeological areas, promote their support services and create the best environment for tourism products, said businessman Abdul Mohsen Al-Hokair.He said: “The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), under the leaders...

Ramadan is a month of fasting and starving the body and soul from food and other temptations. However, this does not prevent people from gaining weight due to all the suhoor and iftar invitations and gatherings. Going back to the regular routine and lifestyle is not easy after the holy month of Ramadan, the body gets used to not consuming food until the sun sets and then consuming large amounts of foods until sunrise. The cherry on the top is Eid, which is Ramadan’s sweet ending. Muslims celebrate this occasion by gathering together around a feast of traditional and international dining tables with plenty of sweets and cakes doing the rounds.“In Ramadan many people put on weight mainly...

She began her career with a government job, but being unsatisfied with it, she decided to have another source of income. And her journey in doing so was short and sweet. With ‘Munch Bakery,’ she created a global brand. We are talking about the brilliant businesswoman Princess Hala bint Mishari Al-Saud, who counts self-confidence, courage and ambition as the driving force behind her success.She said family is the primary motivation for success in public life.“Success increases with the increased faith of the family in the aspirations of the children,” Princess Hala said. She is the only daughter in the family and her mother encouraged her constantly, which made her take steps with confidence...

Ever since its first edition in 1963, this life-changing classic has been republished. “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” has shown millions of readers all around the world how to use the power of your subconscious mind. You do not need to acquire this power. You already possess it but you can become more powerful, wealthier and happier if you learn how to use it.“When your mind thinks correctly, when you understand the truth, when the thoughts deposited in your subconscious mind are constructive, harmonious, and peaceful, the magic working power of your subconscious will respond and bring about harmonious conditions, agreeable surroundings, and the best of everything. When you begin to...

CAIRO: From refugee camps to the world of Arab Idol, Mohammed Assaf’s story continues to travel. Its latest destination? The silver screen.Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hany Abu Assad, a Palestinian like Assaf, has loosely based his film ‘The Idol — Ya Tayr Al Tayer’ on the pop star’s life. Based in Cairo and Beirut but filmed primarily in Jordan, the drama follows its protagonist’s journey from simplicity to superstardom, mixing humor with sorrow and struggle with hope.The biopic will premiere at Toronto International Film Festival in September. Assaf may attend.The singer’s new video, the...

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan will be allowed back in to Mumbai’s main cricket stadium after a five-year ban was lifted on Sunday, Indian media reported.Khan was banned from Wankhede stadium by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) after a late-night row with staff at the grounds in May 2012.NDTV reports the ban was lifted a couple of years early since Khan has already served a substantial period ‘respectfully’. Khan is the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team. The MCA said Khan entered the ground after a game, misbehaved and used foul language when officials asked him to leave....